Happy New Year!!! 2022 here we go~
I actually have been writing this entry since August but did not have the chance to finish it until today, so I decided na why not gawin ko nalang 'year ender' blog to hehe.
First of all, I just want to appreciate YOU (my reader hehe) -- I am proud of you! I believe you have been through a lot the past year, but you made it!! Just keep going and know that Jesus loves you!
If there is one thing 2021 has taught me, it's the concept of obedience. To be honest ang hirap mag obey when you live in a fallen world, tapos grabe pa yung environment, the influence of the people around you to the point na sometimes it just drowns you and changes the way you see yourself (I would say in a negative way). Naranasan mo na ba yun? Yung gusto mong gawin ang tama (in this case, you want to obey) pero parang ang daming hadlang or temptations around you. Yung sinasabi nilang "gusto kong bumait pero di ko magawa" yun bang nasa point ka na minsan you are already compromising your values and even your worth.
I want to explore this topic by first starting to see what does the bible actually says about obedience. There's a lot of verses that explore this topic but I would just mention a couple that I think will set a foundation for us to really understand what it is;
• "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 28:1-2
• "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 "Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth." Ephesians 6:1-3
• But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22
• "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." Romans 6:16
There are still other verses that talk about obedience but I will just focus on these 4 verses;
- Remember the greatest commandment in the bible? "You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind." And, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27) To love God is to obey Him and to carefully follow all His commands. Sabi nga "there is always a blessing in obedience."
- This is the first commandment with a promise -- which is to obey our parents so that things will go well for us. Kaya binigay ang mga magulang natin para gamitin sila ni Lord to become our guide in this tough world. Though alam naman natin na hindi lahat ng tao pinalad na makasama yung magulang nila growing up pero life will always find a way, I believe that God will place people in their lives to help them grow and succeed.
- It is better to obey than to compromise which can lead to death
(may be literal or not), as it says in the verse, the Lord is more pleased when we obey and submit to His voice than when we sacrifice and make an offering. - I don't know if it's just me but have you ever been in a situation where you want to do what is right but you always end up doing the opposite (or the wrong thing). I would say this is what this verse emphasizes where we can actually become a slave of whatever we choose to obey. Let's say may isang bagay ka na ayaw mo talagang gawin pero dahil alipin ka nito darating ka sa point na hindi ka makatanggi (your flesh will take over) and you will end up doing exactly the opposite of what you want. Diba ang ironic pero that's the reality. Kaya nga we have been warned not to be a slave to sin for we will end up obeying it.
"Delayed obedience is still a disobedience" = I cannot exactly remember where I saw this but I agree with this statement. Let's be honest, ang daling sabihin pero ang hirap panindigan. Minsan umaabot pa tayo sa point na we ask God if pwede bukas nalang or next time nalang ulit, which is still a delayed obedience = disobedience.
This year, I have gone through a lot of situations where I had to choose whether to obey or not and maybe that's why I wanted to write about this topic and look at it closely. Aaminin ko ang hirap talaga mag obey especially if hindi naman yun yung gusto mo talagang gawin pero alam mo sa sarili mo (with God's conviction na rin and discernment) na yun ang kailangan mong gawin dahil alam mong sumusunod ka. I was reminded of the song by Don Moen "trust and obey" where it says "trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus".
If you have read this far I hope you have learned a lot like me. While writing this blog, this became a reminder for me to really understand what obedience is about. I hope you will do the right thing, just obey : )
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